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WATERFORD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY The 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language and the Irish Speaking Communities: an Ethnographic Investigation By Pilar Luz Rodrigues This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Social Studies, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford Research supervisor: Dr. James Cuffe Submitted to Waterford Institute of Technology, January 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................. 1 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 2 Ethical Declaration ............................................................................................................ 3 List of Figures ................................................................................................................... 4 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 5 2 Policy ................................................................................................................... 10 3 Literature Review ................................................................................................. 17 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Linguistic perspectives ................................................................................. 17 3.3 Historical analyses ........................................................................................ 19 3.4 Comparative studies ...................................................................................... 21 3.5 Policy analyses .............................................................................................. 24 3.6 Rural Ireland and the Gaeltacht .................................................................... 26 3.7 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 28 4 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 30 4.1 Research overview ........................................................................................ 30 4.2 Research design ............................................................................................ 30 4.3 Ethical considerations ................................................................................... 34 5 Findings ................................................................................................................ 36 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 36 5.2 County Waterford ......................................................................................... 37 5.3 County Cork .................................................................................................. 40 5.4 County Kerry ................................................................................................ 46 5.5 County Galway ............................................................................................. 49 5.6 County Mayo ................................................................................................ 59 5.7 County Donegal ............................................................................................ 63 5.8 County Meath ............................................................................................... 79 6 Analysis ................................................................................................................ 85 7 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 100 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 104 ABSTRACT This study researched the impact of the recent Irish policy for language promotion and revival, the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language, on language usage in the country, especially in the Gaeltacht regions. It aimed at ascertaining how the policy had been received by the population and assessing its effects, so far, on Irish speaking communities. The research employed ethnography as the primary method of investigation. Specifically, the study relied on participant observation and interviews, which were conducted in twelve villages and towns located in the seven Gaeltacht regions. The research confirmed that the declining usage of the Irish language in Gaeltacht regions was no longer associated with historical or colonial legacies, but was partly the result of a larger worldwide phenomenon faced by all minority languages, with English as a dominant language globally. The research also demonstrated that the seven Gaeltacht counties are not homogeneous. Beyond contrasts of linguistic dialects, there are significant differences between each county, in relation to such variables as economy, geography and social structure, and these differences have significant policy implications. More importantly, the research found that a number of social problems continue to affect rural isolated areas in the western seaboard of Ireland, where most of the Gaeltacht regions are located, adversely affecting language preservation in the area. As the government strategy for the Irish language is in its initial implementation phases, the study proposed to following up on the policy’s progress, especially with regards to the community language planning processes proposed for the Gaeltacht regions. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Government of Ireland for the Government of Ireland (GOI) Scholarship, which enabled me to pursue the MA program in Social Studies at Waterford Institute of Technology. Without this scholarship this entire experience would not have been possible. For this, I am eternally grateful. I hope that with this research, I have somehow been able to contribute to Ireland. I would like to acknowledge my gratitude to my Supervisor, Dr. James Cuffe, who was one of a kind in guiding me throughout the entire research process. Thank you for listening, for being ever present and for all the advice given. I am grateful for all that I was able to learn under your supervision. I also wish to sincerely thank all the community members in the Gaeltacht regions who kindly spared some of their time to talk to me and share their stories. Without their help, this research would have lacked an essence, which only they were able to transmit to me. A special thank you is in order to my partner, Sérgio Cavalcanti, who embarked in this journey to Ireland with me. Without his kindness, patience and endless support, this research would not have reached its upmost potential. Thank you for believing in me and for helping me to be the best that I can be. And finally, I would like to thank my family, in special my parents and my brothers. Thank you for always making sure I knew I had a 24-hour support system, even over 8,000 kilometers away. Thank you for your love and for teaching me to reach for the stars. 2 ETHICAL DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is wholly my own work except where I have made explicit reference to the work of others. I have discussed, agreed and complied with whatever confidentiality or anonymity terms which were deemed appropriate by those participating in the research. I certify that this thesis contains no plagiarism. By submitting this thesis, I agree to the following terms: Any text, diagrams or other material copied from other sources (including, but not limited to, books, journals and the internet) have been clearly acknowledged and referenced as such in the text by the use of ‘quotation marks’ (or indented italics for longer quotations) followed by the author’s name and date in the text. These details are then confirmed by a fuller reference in the bibliography. I understand that only work which is free of plagiarism will be awarded marks. I further understand that WIT has a plagiarism policy which can lead to the suspension or permanent expulsion of students in serious cases. __________________________ Pilar Luz Rodrigues January 13, 2017 3 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Map of Ireland – places visited ....................................................................... 36 Figure 2: An Ghaeltacht sign on the way to Ring ........................................................... 37 Figure 3: Junction – Ring and Ardmore .......................................................................... 38 Figure 4: Pub in Ring ...................................................................................................... 39 Figure 5: Arriving in Cape Clear Island .......................................................................... 40 Figure 6: Cape Clear Island ferry .................................................................................... 41 Figure 7: Abandoned house in Cape Clear Island ........................................................... 43 Figure 8: School in Cape Clear Island ............................................................................ 45 Figure 9: Dingle .............................................................................................................. 46 Figure 10: Fishing boat in Dingle ..................................................................................